Kenneth Branagh to Direct ARTEMIS FOWL Movie

September 2, 2015

Kenneth Branagh (‘Cinderella,’ ‘Thor’) has signed on to develop and direct a big screen adaptation of Irish author Eoin Colfer’s best-selling book series ‘Artemis Fowl’ for Walt Disney Pictures and The Weinstein Company.

Described as “‘Die Hard’ with fairies” the book series follow the adventures of 12-year-old Artemis who is a millionaire, a genius – and above all, a criminal mastermind. But Artemis doesn’t know what he’s taken on when he kidnaps a talkative and sarcastic fairy (Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon Unit) to harness her magic to save his family. These are not the fairies of the bedtime stories – they’re dangerous.

Tony-nominated and Olivier-winning Dublin playwright and director Conor McPherson (‘The Eclipse,’ ‘The Actors,’ ‘I Went Down’) is in talks to provide the script for the long-in-development project, according to Variety. Adam Kline and Michael Goldenberg (‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’) penned the most recent drafts.

In addition to directing, Branagh will take a producing credit alongside Hollywood heavy-hitter Harvey Weinstein, with Judy Hofflund (‘Panic Room,’ ‘Stir of Echoes,’ ‘As You Like It’) serving as executive producer.